DEATH OF THE LIVING
by 30secondfics
Summary: [A/U SE07]: Arizona comes back from Africa when a mysterious virus spreads through Seattle. Can they reconnect with the world crumbling apart around them? (Rated M in future chapters) [A/N]: Drama and zombies, inspired by The Walking Dead.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ This story starts out a little slow, but I promise there are more zombies and drama later.

Chapter 1

Arizona stared at the blue apartment door. She had been crying since she got off the plane, and she couldn't stop blaming herself for how the past few months had turned out. When the door finally opens, she takes a deep breath and lets her mouth release the speech she had repeated over and over again in her head.

"Okay so picture this, I'm in Africa. And everything's great…" She spills her heart out to the love of her life and sighs, "You look really pretty."

The door shuts in her face and she feels her heart drop into her stomach.

-4 months later-

Callie had made it clear that she didn't want her back.

_"You're untrustworthy, so I don't want to see you. You're self-centered, so I don't want to see you." Callie held her ground and made her point, "I don't want you in my life!"_

Arizona moved in with Teddy and settled back into her old work routine. In the first few months, she tried to talk to Callie. She offered listening, pointing out her own flaws, and begging for forgiveness, but Callie turned it all down. She kept trying and trying until it seemed like Callie was starting to avoid her. Her shifts would start when hers ended, or she was working odd days, or she was never seen without Mark. Days would go by without the slightest glimpse of her lover but Arizona refused to give up.

000

Nearing the end of a long shift, Owen's body is starting to shut down. He was ready to crash, but ignores it to checks on his last patient.

"Mr. Dawn, your fever is still pretty high so I'm going keep you on watch over night. The nurse said your IV has a leak so I can change that before I leave too." Owen removes the tape from the man's arm and slowly removes the needle.

"OW! What are you doing?" The elderly man jerks away and the tip of the needle grazes Owen's hand hard enough to break skin.

"It's just me, Mr. Dawn. I'm Dr. Hunt, remember? I'm just getting you settled for the night."

The man suffered from dementia, and Owen was used to having to introduce himself throughout the day. "Alright, you're set. Just call a nurse if you need anything, and I'll see you in the morning." Owen does his final check-ups and then heads home.

The next day a ten-year-old boy broke his collarbone during a soccer game. Arizona had not seen Callie in weeks at this point, and she was excited when she hears they were both assigned to the case. As they proceeded with the surgery, however, she tried to convince herself that being in the same room is what she wanted. The tension was high, and Callie seemed cold and professional, but Arizona thought it was better seeing her like this than not seeing her at all.

"Dr. Torres…" Arizona faintly voices in the middle of the procedure.

"WHAT?" Callie looks up irritated, "did I do something wrong?"

"Um… it's nothing."

"Well, you said my name." Callie gets back to her work and there's awkward silence for a minute.

"You're doing a good job." Arizona gives her a weak smile behind her mask.

"Let's just get back to the surgery, please." Callie picks up the drill and puts the metal screws in place. "Dr. Karev, we're ready to close up. His bones are in place and my job here is done. Is there anything else, Dr. Robbins?"

Arizona shakes her head and Callie leaves the room to scrub out. Arizona starts to stitch the boy when Alex stops her.

"I've got it from here." he offers. "Go talk to her."

Arizona gives him an appreciative nod and scrubs out to follow her ex-girlfriend.

000

"Calliope?" Arizona enters the empty lounge and finds Callie sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah?" Callie pulls her lab coat around her torso and crosses her arms.

Arizona takes a seat beside her and gives her a faint smile, "Adam's going to be able to play soccer again… thank you."

"I was just doing my job, Arizona." Callie thinks for a moment and then stands up to grab her food out of the fridge. Taking a deep breath, she turns towards the other woman and lifts her container. "You want some?"

"I'm good, thanks." Arizona lifts her hand to signal her refusal.

Callie shrugs her shoulders and takes her previous position on the couch before digging into her food. Arizona sits back and watches her ex practically inhale the food in amusement. She knows Callie is an amazing cook, but she doesn't remember her eating this much.

"Hungry?" she asks.

Callie looks her ex dead in the eye, "Why?"

Arizona realizes how her words could have been taken and awkwardly clears her throat. "I mean, you're barely chewing your food- but you probably skipped breakfast to get here early. And you've had a few long surgeries today so you must be starving. I uh-" she rambles nervously.

Callie arched her eyebrow to stop the woman's ramblings, and Arizona prayed that she'd burst into flames to excuse herself from the awkwardness.

Just then, Teddy storms into the room and locks the door behind her. "Owen… I… then…" she desperately gasps for air between her words.

"Teddy?" Arizona approaches her best friend. "Teddy, you're a little pale. Did you see a ghost or something?" she teases.

Teddy gulps, "I was going to meet Owen for a consult and I found him crouched over a patient." She frantically shakes her head from side to side, as if trying to clear the images out of her head. "He was gnawing at his patient like-like-like a piece of meat!" Her voice cracked, completely overwhelmed by the incident. "He stood up and his patient started to crawl towards me. They both started to come after me! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

"Are you sure you saw-"

"I'M NOT CRAZY, ARIZONA. I KNOW WHAT I SAW!"

A muffled scream comes from the hallway and the women back away from the door. They recognize Owen's face through the small window and they see his bloody hands clawing at the doorknob.

"That's not Owen." Teddy whispers in shock.

His eyes were black and his skin was stained with blood. He kept clawing at the wood, determined to get inside.

"Jesus." Callie breathes out as she stands. Her adrenaline starts kicking in and her mind starts screaming at her to get away from whatever stood behind the door. "We can get to the stairwell through the window!" She thinks out loud. Arizona looks at her questioningly and Callie points at the door "Look at him, Arizona! He's strong and dangerous. We need to get away from that thing and the stairwell is one window over!"

"Okay!" Arizona nods her head in agreement and Callie opens the window before giving Teddy a boost out.

Teddy takes small side steps on the outside ledge and kicks the next window open before slipping in. "It's clear!" she calls out, "Next!"

Callie helps Arizona up and then pulls herself out of the window as well. The three women reunite and they notice a heard of people clawing at the stairwell door. Each one of them was smeared with blood and their eyes were dark with death.

"What the hell…" Arizona goes blank when she recognizes little Adam on the other side of the door. His eyes were hollow and his hands were desperately scratching at the small door window.

"They can't work doors knobs so I can only imagine there are more of them down stairs." Teddy grabs Arizona's elbow, "our best bet is the roof."

The two women begin heading up the stairs when a fearful voice stops them.

"WAIT!"

They turn around to see Callie nervously shifting on her feet.

"Come on, Callie!" Arizona reaches out her hand.

"No, I need to find Mark!"

"I'm sure he found his way out! Now let's move before one of those things gets us first!" Arizona extends her arm as far as she could and Callie hesitantly takes her hand.

They quickly run up the stairs and Arizona runs ahead with Callie struggling to keep up behind her. When they exit the stairwell onto the helicopter pad, they immediately close the door behind them and collapse against the cool metal. They let their body sag against the door while they refilled their lungs with air.

"What… now?" Arizona asks between gasps.

"We think of a better plan… to get us out of here… then we find out… what the hell is going on." Callie breathes labouredly and then pushes herself off the door to walk towards the edge of the roof. The two women follow and they scan the streets below them.

"This isn't happening…" Teddy points towards an intersection where a group of people were huddled around a body, tearing it apart like a pack of hyenas.

"I don't believe it. There's something out there that's turning people into blood-hungry animals!" Callie snorts "Like zombies?" she couldn't help but laugh.

"How is that funny?" Arizona looks at her ex-girlfriend.

"I don't know, there's some sort of plague, our lives are in danger, and I'm stuck here with you! I mean, I've been trying so hard to avoid you. I turned my life upside down for you, and you walked away. Now I'm telling you to walk away, and you can't seem to leave!" Callie continues to laugh.

"That's it!" Arizona stares up at the warm brown eyes that used to be filled with love. "I made a mistake, Calliope… a big one. I regret hurting you and I blame myself for walking out every damn day. You're mad, I get that. You don't want to see me, and I get that too. What I don't deserve is you pushing me around like I'm no one!"

Arizona clenched her fists and closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to calm down. "I love you, Calliope… and I will spend the rest of my life telling you that. I will apologies to you every day if that's what you need… but I want you to know that I'm still committed to this thing and I'm not walking away again. So please… don't walk away from me. " she says softly, looking Callie in the eye as she made her point.

She wanted to just kiss her. Kiss and make-up like they've done before. But as soon as Arizona stepped close enough, she's suddenly stopped by a hard protrusion coming from the woman in front of her.

Stepping back, she drops her gaze to Callie's scrub-covered abdomen. Her lips part and tears start to burn in her eyes as she focuses on the now visible growth. She noticed that her ex had gained some weight, but how could she have been so blind?

Callie protectively places her hand on the swell of her stomach while she kept her eyes on Arizona's watery blue orbs. "I'm twenty-four weeks pregnant… with Mark's baby. How 'bout now?"

Arizona figured that much as soon as she felt the life press against her, but Callie's confirming words hit her hard. Quickly turning away, she runs off and sits behind the large pipes that occupied the roof.

Callie watched Arizona run away and inhaled deeply through her nose. She knew this risked the chances of getting back together so she made herself believe that she was going to do this on her own. She wasn't sorry for getting pregnant, but hearing Arizona's sobs come from behind the pipes made her wish she could have told her another way.

"Give her space… she'll talk when she's ready." Teddy gives Callie a supportive pat on the back and then leaves to comfort her best friend.

000

The sounds of screams, police cars, and occasional gunshots came from below. Callie hoped that everything would be under control soon, but she knew things down there were far from that. She kept her thoughts occupied on how to get out of there safely, or wondering what sort of virus was causing this destructive behavior, but she couldn't help but worry about the fate of her unborn child. After an hour of thinking the worst, she decides to quit it and check up on Arizona.

When she turns the corner, she sees Arizona sleeping with her head rested on Teddy's lap.

"I don't want to take sides, but I don't think she can handle any more right now. She just cried herself to sleep… and she hasn't been sleeping well since she got back." Teddy continues to rub Arizona's arm.

"I can take it from here." Callie sits down beside her.

"Arizona, honey, I need to go to the bathroom." Teddy whispers into her ear and Arizona sleepily lifts her head. Teddy slips away to find a more private area on the roof and Callie shifts closer and replaces her spot.

"Stay. Please… stay." Callie whispers and runs her fingers through Arizona's hair when she tries to get up. Arizona leans back on Callie's lap and relaxes into her gentle touch. She feels Callie's stomach press against the back of her head and hot tears begin to stream out of her eyes.

"Were you… ever going to tell me?"

"I don't know… I really don't…" Callie continues to run her fingers through Arizona's hair.

"You were just going to have this baby and hope I didn't care enough by then?"

"What? No. I don't know, okay? I didn't really think about it. I didn't think you were going to come back, and when you did, I didn't think you were going to stay long."

"I… you slept with someone else." Arizona whimpers. "I know that we were broken up, but still, you slept with someone else."

"I didn't plan this."

"I want to say this without you walking away… but I'm mad." Arizona wipes her tears with the back of her hand, "I'm just- I'm just so mad." She turns her upper body to face Callie "I love you, Calliope-"

"Arizona, I still love you too…" Callie cutes her off, "but I'm a package deal now." She rubs Arizona's tear stained cheek with her thumb. "You can't just love me anymore. You can't just have me. This child is coming in about… three months and we can't just go back to being the couple we were before. I need support and stability, and someone who's going to be there for the two of us."

"I want you…" Arizona mutters.

"But I come with a child now, Arizona. If you want me, you commit to this child as well. That's how it works now. If you want this… I need to know that you'll be here all the way. I need to know that you're completely in."

"I don't know… you just- you have to give me some time."

"Okay." Callie sighs and nods her head.

The two women stay in their position just to feel the other close by, and there was a silent understanding to leave it at that for now.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ you're still reading? Thanks! I hope not to disappoint.

Chapter 2

Arizona opened her eyes and saw the pink evening sky. When she sits up, she remembers that they're on the helicopter pad for a reason. Rubbing her eyes, she sees Teddy still scanning the streets below and Callie curled up on her side, sleeping. She watches Callie sleep peacefully for a moment. Her arm was draped across her swollen belly, and her hand occasionally rubbed circles under her lab coat. She was dreaming. Arizona takes off her lab coat and places it on her ex to keep her warm. Part of her was hurt and angry, but she still felt the need to protect her. She protected the things she loved.

The cool evening air brings her back from her thoughts of Callie and the baby. It was getting late and they were still stranded on top of the hospital. She runs her fingers through her hair then decides to join Teddy on the ledge.

"Anything new?"

Teddy nods towards a dog below "It looks like its owner went to grab a coffee. Those things ate half its body, and twenty minutes later, he's up and crawling away from his leash. It's pretty cool. Creepy but cool."

"Do you think it's viral?"

"Possibly... it takes over the host but it doesn't seem to be causing lysis. Victims are still functioning."

Arizona crossed her arms, it was getting cold and she was just in her scrubs now. "It's getting dark. The streets are filled with those things; I can only imagine this hospital is infected too."

Teddy couldn't help but chuckle "You know I've been in this situation before… in Iraq. I was stranded on a roof for 38 hours, but not because of infected cannibals. I'd rappel down the wall, make a dash for my car and drive out of here… but that would be pretty challenging with a pregnant woman."

Arizona looks back at her sleeping ex, then back at her best friend. Part of her still didn't believe it. "It looks like we're staying the night. Maybe we'll have a clear escape in the morning?"

"I doubt it, but we can hope." Teddy placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder "Stay with her. I'll keep watch and see if I can come up with something."

Arizona nods her head, "We're counting on you, GI Jane."

They both smile and Arizona walks back to their spot by the pipes.

"You're up?" Arizona asks when she sees Callie lying with her eyes looking up in deep thought.

"Yeah," Callie rubs her eyes, "it's about dinner time and baby knows it."

"Oh… I have mints in my lab coat. It's not much but it's better than nothing."

Callie sits up and realizes Arizona's lab coat is on her. They were a mess, but the woman obviously still cared about her. Giving her a small appreciative smile, she hands back the lab coat as the other woman sits beside her.

Arizona reaches into her pocket and opens the little box before offering it to the pregnant woman.

"Thanks." Callie pops a few mints into her mouth and offers some to the woman next to her. Arizona simply shakes her head and the two sit in silence while Callie crunched on the little tablets.

As the two sat against the pipes, Teddy hears a familiar sound in the distance. "Callie! Arizona! Get over here!"

Arizona stands up and lends Callie a hand before walking to their friend on the helicopter pad.

"What is it?" Callie looks up when they find Teddy searching the sky like a lost child.

"Shh shh shh." Teddy closed her eyes in concentration. "Helicopter... north-east."

All three women look in the direction and see a distant mark in the sky.

"I think it's approaching." Teddy takes off her lab coat and waves it in the air.

"Thank god." Callie takes her coat off as well, and the three women signal for the helicopter.

The aircraft gets closer and closer, and they hear a voice on the microphone "ALL SURVIVORS, MAKE YOUR WAY TO WEST PARK. ALL SURVIVORS, MAKE YOUR WAY TO WEST PARK."

"Shit. We can't get down from here." Arizona looks over the edge, at the small patch of green that made the park.

Teddy groans but continues to wave her lab coat, "We're on a helicopter pad, for crying out loud. How can they not see us?"

"It's coming!" Callie unconsciously takes Arizona's hand as help comes closer.

000

The helicopter lands on the pad and a blonde woman steps out dressed in a camo suit. "Sergeant Sasha A. how are you three today?" the rather cheerful woman yells underneath the spinning blades.

"We've had better days, sergeant." Teddy chuckles.

"Any of you bit or come in direct contact?"

"No ma'am." Arizona answers.

"Right this way then!" She opens the door and guides the three women inside. Once they're settled, they leave Seattle Grace Mercy West, possibly for the last time.

000

"What's going on down there?" an electronic version of Teddy's voice registers through their intercom.

"We don't know. We were called down yesterday with some sort of outbreak just south of here. The next thing we knew, it spread like wildfire. Whole towns were infected over night and now the entire city is being overrun. I'm sure you've seen what that thing does to people."

Callie sighs and places her hand on her belly. "Where are we going now?"

"We've set up a camp of survivors just north of here. We've have twelve people, including myself and the three other soldiers. We've already lost a few but we're holding up."

000

The helicopter lands in a patch of grass and the three women look at their new surroundings. They were in the middle of a field surrounded by dense forest. It must have been one of the Washington's National Parks, seeing as a few picnic benches were scattered in the distance. Two army SUVs parked about forty yards from each other and tents and fire pits occupied the space in between.

"The three officers are on a watch rotation. We're on high grounds so we should be pretty safe. We're out of tents but there's tarp and some rope in the truck. Take what you need for the night and I should have more supplies in the morning." Sasha directs them to the camp grounds and gets back in the helicopter to look for more survivors.

Teddy and Arizona set up a shelter while Callie volunteered to get food.

"How'd you make that?" Callie comes back with a handful of things.

"Tarp is your best friend in the desert." Teddy dusts her scrub pants.

"What did you find?" Arizona takes some of Callie's load.

"2 water bottles, 3 cans of tuna, a box of crackers… 3 blankets and a roll of toilet paper."

"Luxurious." Teddy teased, "Let's get this fire started, shall we?"

000

The three women ate their dinner in silence. The sound of the fire crackling and other survivors in the distance filled the emptiness. After dinner, they unconsciously drifted their separate ways. Callie set up their blankets under the tarp while Teddy searched for more firewood to keep the fire burning all night. It was summer in Washington, but the nights got pretty cold.

Arizona needed a cigarette but opted to a walk around the camp instead. She made her way to the edge of the site where empty cans were stringed along trees. They must be to there to alarm them of intruders, she thought. Continuing her walk, she's met by an armed soldier who simply gives her a nod of acknowledgement. She did feel a little safer knowing someone was keeping watch, but she didn't think she could sleep much tonight. Trying not to think the worst, she wanders off. Not sure where she was heading, but savoring the much needed time alone.

When Arizona returns to their site, she finds the two already asleep. She ducks under the tarp and spots the empty blanket laid out between them. Rolling her lab coat into a makeshift pillow, she lies back and shifts to find a comfortable position on the cold hard ground. When she turns to her side, she awkwardly comes face to face with her ex-girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Arizona whispers.

"It's fine, I wasn't sleeping. Well, I had my eyes closed, and I was trying to, but I can't sleep."

"Oh."

"Where'd you go?" Callie asks.

"I went for a walk. It looks like we're safe for the night."

"This is pretty crazy, huh? This whole situation..."

"Yeah, I never wanted to come back to this."

Callie winced.

Arizona didn't realize how cold her words could have come off. "I- I meant the virus" she corrected.

"It's not that." Callie's face flashed discomfort. "The baby's kicking."

Arizona creased her forehead.

"C'mere" Callie offers her hand.

"I don't-" Arizona was about to protest but Callie took her hand in the most gentle way and placed it on her swollen belly. "It's beating," she genuinely smiles for the first time in months as the life repeatedly kicked against her hand.

"Uh-huh." Callie smiles and looks into her deep blue eyes. For a moment, they both forget where they are and what was happening. For a moment, it was just the two of them and the growing baby.

"That's amazing." Arizona was about to pull her hand back when Callie placed her hand on top of hers.

"Arizona…"

Arizona leans in and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips "Good night, Calliope." She turns to her side towards Teddy and shuts her eyes. It was just too much for her. She never wanted kids but she agreed to have a baby with Callie. Now Callie was having a baby, and it was amazing, but it was Mark's baby. Arizona wipes her tears and hears shuffling behind her. She feels an arm drape around her waist and the life press against her back.

"Please don't cry." Callie whispers into her ear. "I probably shouldn't have done that, but please... I didn't do this to hurt you."

Arizona turned around and crashed their lips. Callie parts hers to grant her entrance and they let their tongues feel one another. They missed this feeling. They missed how they could find comfort in each other when things got hard.

Arizona's hands slid down Callie's body and rested on her inner thigh.

"Arizona…" Callie mumbled against her lips "Teddy."

Arizona looks over her shoulder and finds Teddy, still sleeping on her side, facing the opposite direction. "Just keep it down. I… please?"

Callie looks over at their friend to make sure she was asleep.

"It's going to be okay," Arizona promised, "turn around."

Callie gives in and turns to her side, facing away from her lover. Arizona slips one arm under Callie's neck and slides it underneath her scrub top to palm her breast. Her other hand slipped into the waistband of Callie's underwear and cupped her mound. Callie's body felt different but a part of her still recognized it as her lover.

Callie sucked in a sharp breath. She missed being in Arizona's arms more than she'll ever know. Her soft skin, her gentle touch, and the things she could do to her body that no one else could. "Arizona..." Callie breathes out as her lover continues to caress her.

Arizona slides her fingers into Callie's slick folds and Callie shut her eyes, trying not to moan too loud. This wasn't just comfort sex and they both knew it. It was slow, and tender, and they felt all the love they couldn't verbally express at the moment.

Callie muffled a groan between her teeth as her body finally peaked. Arizona held her close and whispered sweet nothings into her ear as she came. Though as she slowly came down from her high, tears stream down her cheeks and she remembers the woman behind her. They had a lot to fix, but Arizona was still the one she thought she would spend the rest of her life with.

Arizona kissed her deeply once more before pulling back and laying flat on her back.

"Arizona?" Callie slowly turned around.

Arizona looked at her lover and laid her arm out to let Callie rest her head on her bicep. Callie's hands slipped under her scrub top but she stopped her. "Good night, Calliope."

000

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The last they heard, Seattle had been fully infected and no word came from the other survivor camps. They constantly wondered if their friends ever made it out of the hospital.

The camp developed a rotating chore system. Although the survivors stuck with their own tent members, they developed a bond that worked well together. Things felt like a big camping trip, one they could all go home from when the coast was clear. But none of them truly believed that.

Callie was about 32 weeks pregnant now and Arizona helped her with her chores more often. Nights like before rarely happened again, in respect to their tent mate, but sometimes Teddy would take long walks in the evening to give them space. They functioned. They were almost like a couple, but there was still a lot to talk about. Arizona was there whenever Callie's pregnancy took a toll on her body; however, nothing was ever mentioned about her involvement in the child's future. They were in a pretty pink bubble, despite their current situation.

Arizona was in a tank top and boy shorts as she hung up her clothes. It was laundry day for their tent, and Callie sat on a picnic bench in her own underwear while she rested her swollen feet. With the lack of extra clothing, this was a pretty common sight at the camp. One they have all become quite used to.

"If I knew this was going to happen, scrubs would be the last thing I'd want to be stuck wearing." Teddy complained as she hung up her pants on the clothes line.

"At least they're comfy." Arizona shrugged her shoulders.

"Not if you have a growing child making them feel four sizes too small." Callie groaned.

"Maybe we can ask Sasha to grab you a larger shirt the next time she goes into town." Teddy suggests.

"I don't think the local discount shop would have my style." Callie snorted.

All three women giggle until a sound like thunder ripped through the air. They snap their heads towards the south forest.

Gun shot.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ Thanks for reading... still :P

Chapter 3

"_ALL SURVIVORS, MAKE YOUR WAY TO WEST PARK. ALL SURVIVORS, MAKE YOUR WAY TO WEST PARK."_

_Pitch black eyes look up to see the helicopter fly by. They were hungry and the city was starting to run out of live flesh to eat. One by one they followed the aircraft. Soon, herds of dead were walking north._

"You four okay?" Sasha approached them.

Callie couldn't help but smiles at the headcount including her child. Teddy and Arizona's brows furrow until they realize who the fourth person is.

"A little concerned, but nothing out of the ordinary." Arizona answers.

"I'm just making sure everyone's here. No one is to go out there tonight- even for firewood. Those shots came a couple miles south of here and we don't know what's out there."

"I thought we were the only ones up here…" Teddy thought out loud.

"That's what we thought. I'll scan the area from above, but it may just be a wandering hunter."

"Shooting wildlife, right?" Arizona asks.

"I hope so…" Sasha answers softly, "I sure hope so."

000

Night fell and the camp was as peaceful as any other night. Teddy and Arizona had already fallen asleep, but Callie stayed up to poke at their small fire. She couldn't sleep, and she knew it wasn't because of the child kicking inside her.

"You have that gut feeling too, baby?" Callie felt her child kick in response and she chuckles. "I know you're my gut feeling, but I meant my metaphorical gut." she rubs small circles around her belly. "Mama should sleep now, huh?"

As soon as she stands up, she catches a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. Her eyes widen when she recognizes one of their people pinned underneath two infected humans. She wanted to scream and warn the others but the noise would just draw them towards her.

"Teddy… Arizona…" she quickly ducks under the tarp and quietly tries to wake the two. "For goodness sakes… GUYS, MY WATER BROKE!" she whispers louder.

Arizona shoots up and Teddy snaps out of sleep.

"Finally… there are two of them out there. Come on!"

"Shit… who'd they get?" Teddy sleepily asks.

"I don't know." Callie chose not to tell them it was a man Teddy had grown closer with at the camp, and the three women quickly get descent before heading towards Sasha's tent. Lightning struck and the crash of thunder soon followed. Rain fell upon the site and their fires put out.

"Great!" Teddy reaches for Callie's hand and all three women stop in the dark. The half moon provided little light, and the sound of rain drained out subtle sounds.

A high pitched scream came from their left and shuffling came from their right.

Callie's breathing hitches and she jerks her head from side to side, trying to see her surroundings. The rain soaks her hair and their clothes stick to their skin. Her senses go on overdrive and her only thought is to get her and her child to safety.

"EVERY BODY DOWN!" Sasha's voice cuts through the rain and the sound of gun shots follow.

They drop on all fours and instinctively cover their heads with their hands.

"There's more coming in!" one of the officers yell.

"Where the fuck are they coming from?" the other calls out from the opposite direction.

"COLLECT AND MOVE OUT!" Sasha's voice was heard again.

It was hard to tell who was living and who was infected. One of the guards blindly grabs a hand and the person whimpers back in fear. Living. He pulls her to one of the SUVs at the end of the camp and lets her inside before searching for more survivors.

Sasha climbs on top of the SUV to get some ground. She points her riffle and shoots only when she's certain it was the infected.

Another officer taps a man on the shoulder, but as soon as he turns around, his mouth was at his neck. His teeth rip through the flesh and his blood spills down his body. When he fell to the ground, others tore the flesh off his limbs.

"Move, move, move!" an officer yells, and the three women make a run for it. In opposite directions.

"Living?" a hand grabs Callie's.

"Y-yes!" Callie answers and the soldier takes her to the SUV. She climbs in and quickly closed the door. The car was empty. She looks out the window but sees nothing but the rain bearing down at the glass. She breathes to calm herself, but there was no telling what was going on out there.

A hand grabbs Arizona's shoulder and she instantly smells the stench of rotting flesh. She pulls out of their hold and runs. She doesn't know where she's going, but she runs. The blood thirsty humans closely catching up behind her.

It was hard to see, but Teddy knew she was making her way to one of the SUVs. "BEHIND YOU, GET DOWN!" an officer yells and the sound of nearby gunshots meets her ears. She drops onto her stomach and covers her head with her hands. A heavy weight lands on her leg and her ankle is pushed into the ground. The joint snaps and her cry is echoed.

"Arizona?" Teddy looks to her side and finds the figure that tripped over her.

Arizona pushes herself off the ground "Teddy? Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

The soldier runs towards Teddy and helps her sit up. "Can you get her to the car?" he asks Arizona.

Arizona nods her head and takes Teddy's arm around her neck. They limp towards the SUV and the soldier walks backwards behind them, shooting as many of the infected as he could.

"There's too many of them! Take her quick, I'm going to divert." He makes as much noise as he could and walks towards the woods. He lets the dead follow him and then makes a run for it.

"Open up! Open up!" Arizona taps her palm on the SUV. Callie opens the door and helps Teddy in side before Arizona.

Sasha hops off the roof and climbs into the driver's seat. "There's too many of them, we have to go." she starts the car.

"What about Jerry? He led them into the woods!" Teddy yells loud enough to be heard through the rain.

"I'm sorry to say it, but he's a goner! There's a whole heard of them, and those woods are dense."

"WHAT? You're not going to leave him!" Arizona tries to peer out of the window but all she can see was the outline of the dead around them.

"There's four of us and one of him. He was a noble shoulder, we'll always remember him." Sasha slams on the gas pedal.

"Where are we going?" Teddy groans.

"There's a colony north of Toronto."

000

They kept driving until the sun began to rise. Teddy fell asleep on Arizona's shoulder and Callie sat in the passenger's seat to keep Sasha company. They decide to stop for breakfast when they drive through a clear open field, and Sasha and Arizona set up their supplies while Callie checks on Teddy's leg.

"It feels like a simple fracture... it should heal just fine, but you know the drill." Callie presses on the swollen joint and Teddy hisses. "Sorry. I'll get your breakfast, and then we'll find you some splints."

After breakfast, Callie and Sasha walk to the patch of forest that border the edge of the field. "They'll be alright, right?" Callie asks.

"Teddy has good military instincts and Arizona grew up with a colonel. I'm pretty sure she knows how to use a gun… we can leave them for 10 minutes, Callie." Sasha reassures.

"Right." Callie steps into the woods and looks for a tree branch long enough to hold Teddy's leg in place. "This looks perfect… and the one over there will do."

Sasha hands the pregnant woman her gun and bends down to chop it with her hatchet. She pulls out some rope to tie the splints together when they hear twigs snap.

"What was that?" Callie asks.

"I don't know." Sasha hands Callie the pieces of wood and takes her gun. "Do you think you can head back with these?" Sasha asks. Callie nods, they were light enough for her to handle. They hear snaps again and Sasha protectively stands in front of Callie with her gun out in front of her. "Callie, I want you to head back now, alright? Go!"

Callie backs out of the woods until she's out in the open, then heads towards the car with the stilts in her arms.

There he was, a few yards away. His eyes were black and he looked her dead in the eye. He started to come towards her, and she shot at him. Miss. She didn't have a clear view behind the trees. Quickly backing up, fires at him again. Miss. Another one comes up behind him and they both begin to run after her. Sasha turns around for a split second and sees Callie half way to the SUV.

"Callie RUN!" Sasha runs towards her while she fired shots at them. She shot his chest, an arm, his stomach, but they kept running towards her.

Arizona snaps her head towards the noise and finds the two women in their situation. Quickly jumping out of the car, she runs towards Callie. Taking the stilts and grabbing her hand, she helps her back to the vehicle before getting into the driver's seat to start the car.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Sasha yells. They were on her tail and she can smell their decaying flesh in the air. She slings her gun around her chest and sprints.

Arizona drives the car a few yards ahead of Sasha and opens the passenger's door.

The sergeant jumps in and immediately shut the door, "Go go go!" she urged and Arizona slams on the gas pedal.

Teddy exhales in relief and looks behind them, "They're still on us."

"That's fine. They can't catch up with this baby." Sasha taps the glove box and slumps on her seat. "That was close."

"Uh-huh." Callie gulped.

000

It was already dark and they had been driving all day. Callie slept against one window and Teddy slept against the other. Callie set the splints on Teddy's leg earlier, and she had it up on the seat between them.

Arizona looks at the two of them through the rear view mirror and sighs. "We're almost out of gas." She looks a Sasha and then back at the dark road.

"I don't think we should keep traveling." Sasha answered. Arizona looked at her questioningly and Sasha continued, "Three of us know how to use a gun. One is currently immobile and the other is carrying a child. We risk it every time we're on the road… I think we need to settle for a while. At least until Teddy can walk again."

"If we keep moving, we'll get to the colony faster." Arizona thought out loud.

"Arizona, I don't even know if the colony exists. A part of me hopes and wishes, but there are only four of us. Strength comes in numbers and we barely have that at the moment."

"What are we going to do?" Arizona runs her hand through her hair while she drove.

Sasha pointed the flashlight at her map and smiled "Mud Lake."

Arizona saw the excitement in her eyes "You know where we are?"

"I spent summers here for camp when I was a kid. I know the place like my own back yard!"

"Know a place to stay?"

"It's a small town but even that can be dangerous… I know the perfect place."

Sasha guides Arizona through a dirt road that ran by a stream of shallow water. They pull up to a small cabin by the water, and the three women hop out to check out the place.

"Bill's Bait Shop." Sasha smiled "He gets eight customers a year. Two of them include me and my dad. He could get more business if he changed locations, or even had a sign to let people know the shop existed, but it's been in the family for generations and he refused to change a thing."

Sasha walked to the door and read the note on the Open sign, "'Take what you need, god bless – Bill'… typical Bill. He's got to be the jolliest man I've ever met." Sasha opened the door and scanned the small shop with her flashlight. "Clear," she announced. Not that she thought otherwise.

The bunch entered what would be their new home for the next few weeks. They settled into the shop where they found sleeping bags, lots of fishing gear, and enough food to last them about a month. Callie even found a large "I'm a catch!" shirt to replace her tightening scrub top. They settled in quickly, and with each passing day, Teddy healed. And with each passing day, Callie grew bigger.

000

"Morning, Arizona!" Sasha made her way down to the stream where the woman was washing some clothes.

"Hey, what's up?" Arizona ringed the material and stood up to meet her by the grass.

"I was thinking… we should do something for Callie. She looks like she's about to pop and I thought we could throw her some sort of baby shower. I know it sounds silly, and it would only be the four of us, but we should do something."

"Uh, sure… get Teddy in on it too." Arizona gave her a small smile and went back to her chores. She and Callie had been more like friends lately. They talked, they worked, but they avoided anything to do with the baby for a reason.

000

It was early evening and the sun was starting to set. Sasha pretended to clean her gun while Teddy toyed with her splints. Arizona took interest in some fishing rods and Callie read an old issue of a magazine she found by the cash register.

"Callie, could you help me exercise with my leg?" Teddy stood up and limped towards her.

"Uh sure." Callie rose and linked their arms. She helped her friend out of the shop and onto the dirt road to walk around.

Sasha and Arizona quickly put the sleeping bags away and placed an empty display table in the middle of the small room. Sasha set jars of sweet goodies, and some fresh flowers, while Arizona tied fishing wire along the ceiling and hung colourful fish lures to decorate the place.

Twenty minutes later, Teddy entered the shop.

"I should be running in no time!" Teddy joked and Callie chuckled as she came in behind her.

"SURPRISE!" All three women threw their hands in the air.

"Wh-what's all this?" Callie smiled and took in her surroundings.

"It's not much, but it's our improvised baby shower." Teddy explained.

"Oh, you guys! You didn't have to… but I'm already eyeing that peanut butter on the table." Callie gave her friends a hug and went straight for the jar. She dips her finger and takes a satisfying scoop "God, that's good... I've been craving this stuff since I was eight weeks pregnant."

"That's not all… we have games!" Sasha held up some rope. "We don't have ribbons, but we can still play with the boating equipment..."

Arizona watched Callie spin three times while Sasha held the rope around her belly. Teddy won the game and Callie joyfully clapped her hands and handed her a bouquet of wild flowers. The baby shower made her realize that the baby was coming soon, whether she wanted it or not.

"Arizona's turn!" Callie called out.

"Um, what?" Arizona was caught off guard.

"Oh, just because I'm the pregnant one doesn't mean you don't get to play! Come on, it'll be fun!" Callie handed Arizona her lab coat to roll up and place under her shirt. She loved baby showers and she couldn't stop smiling while the four of them played improvised games. This was her baby shower, and for a moment, she felt like everything was going to be alright.

000

After they ate their canned dinner, Teddy headed for bed and Sasha offered to clean up the mess. Arizona stepped outside while Callie fixed the fresh flowers beside her sleeping bag with a big smile on her face. Sure, she was freaking out about the birth of her child in the middle of all this, but she was excited to meet her baby. Her dream.

Arizona stood by the moon-lit stream. It had become her regular routine to get some fresh air before bed, and be thankful for the day before facing the one ahead. They still lived in their pretty pink bubble but she found herself distant from Callie these days. Almost avoiding her, in case the bubble burst and she couldn't give her an answer.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice Callie come out of the shop behind her. Until Callie's arms wrap around her waist and she feels her large stomach press against her back.

"Thanks for the shower." Callie kissed her cheek and then rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder.

Arizona remained quiet.

"That wasn't your idea, was it?" Callie asked and watched Arizona shake her head. "Well, thank you for everything. I forgot what fun felt like."

"Do you want to sit with me?" Arizona pulls out of her embrace and takes her hand.

"Of course," Callie follows her.

They sit on the back porch of the shop and avoid eye contact.

"I've been thinking of the baby's name." Callie finally broke the silence. "I only have a girl name, but I feel like it's a girl. I just know it." She rubs the swell of her stomach. "I want you to be part of her name. I mean, Sloan has to be because he's the father, but I want her to have a part of you too. You've been with her through all this."

Arizona turned her head towards Callie, "What did you have in mind?"

"Sofia Robbin. I thought Arizona was a little too direct, but it has a ring to it."

Arizona gives her a small smile "That's sweet."

"Arizona… you're the only one who can calm her when she's kicking through the night. She hasn't met you but she knows who you are. You've been here and... I want you to stay. I don't know where we're going in all of this, heck! I don't even know how long we'll survive… but I want to raise her with you. I want you to be part of my plan."

Arizona opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. The pretty pink bubble popped.

"Callie, I… you're going to be a great mom and Sofia will be lucky to have you raising her."

"You'll be a great mom too! Oh, Arizona. Our baby would be so happy..." Callie stopped talking when she read the look on Arizona's face.

Arizona slowly shook her head "I'm sorry."

Callie looked at her for a moment and then stood to walk back inside.

A few minutes later, Teddy limped out the back door and found her best friend on the steps with her head in her hands. "What happened? She's in there crying and Sasha can't get her to calm down." Teddy sits beside Arizona and rubs her back.

"I can't do it, Teddy. I can't raise Mark's kid with Callie."


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ as always, thanks for reading! :D

Chapter 4

It was silly, Arizona thought. Everyone she'd ever known could be dead, and she couldn't find it in herself to accept Callie's child. How could she? The child was a constant reminder of her mistakes, and a product of her biggest fear; Callie sleeping with Mark again. Every time she held the child; she would remember everything. Flashbacks of leaving the airport, or Mark touching Callie, would always be present in the back of her mind. She didn't want it. She wanted the new start she came back for.

Arizona wakes to gentle tapping on her shoulder "Sasha?" She squints and tries to focus her eyes. It was early morning and the blue-tinted light of dawn was coming in from the windows.

"There's a few of them out there." Sasha shushes.

Arizona sits up and looks over at Callie's empty sleeping bag "Where is she?"

"We don't know," Teddy whispers.

"There are infected cannibals outside and you don't know where she is?!" Arizona forcefully whispers.

"She must have stepped out while we were sleeping," Sasha stands to look out the window. Teddy and Arizona follow, and they see the five bodies walking in front of the small bait shop.

"You said there's a kid's camp nearby?" Teddy asks.

"Yeah, a couple miles from here" Sasha answers.

"It looks like they've wandered off the camp site" Teddy sighs, "... they're children."

Arizona peers out the window and tried to find signs of Callie. If it was like any other morning, the baby must have been pressing on her bladder.

"I need to find her!" Arizona tries to stand up but Sasha stops her.

"Nuh-uh. I'm not letting you out there, they outnumber us!" Sasha holds Arizona's shoulders down.

"There's a vulnerable, pregnant woman out there, and you want me to just sit here and wait for her to come back?" Arizona brushes Sasha's wrist off her shoulder and stands up.

"If she went to the bathroom, she most likely went out the back door. The back of the shop looks clear, maybe she'll come back in a few." Teddy tries to stop her best friend.

"… or maybe she won't. Sasha, give me your hatchet." Arizona ties her hair up and gets ready to look for Callie.

"No, you're not going out there!" Sasha refused to hand over the weapon. "You could draw more of those things towards us."

"There's also a chance we may lose one of us... two, in fact." Arizona takes a wooden oar off the wall and looks at the two women. "Fine, I'll look for her myself."

"… and a wooden paddle is your weapon of choice?" Teddy knit her brows.

"Yes, it's the best I can do. So I'm going out there and… and you can sit here and wait." Arizona huffs nervously, trying to psych herself up for going out there alone without a proper weapon.

Sasha rolls her eyes "Alright, I'll come with you." She readies her gun and walks after her, "… but we're going back if I see too many of them wandering about."

"Fine." Arizona grips the wooden shaft and steps out the back door. The coast was clear, but she didn't want to take any chances. The infected had occupied the front of the shop, and it wouldn't take much to attract them out back as well. Quietly, the two women follow the edge of the stream to the growth of trees in the distance. The one that marked their bathroom. Sasha follows behind Arizona, and they scan the grounds until Arizona spots the woman. She was standing alone and, facing the opposite direction.

"Callie…" Arizona calls out softly.

Callie remained still.

"Callie…" Arizona calls a little louder.

The woman does not move a muscle.

Arizona sighs and lowers her oar. She walks closer and places her hand on the woman's elbow.

Callie jumps in surprise and quickly turns around with a look of pure fear in her eyes.

"Callie, what's-" Shuffling and twigs snapping in the distance catches Arizona's attention. She turns her head in time to see a hungry child running towards her. "Callie, go!" Arizona places herself in front of the woman and readies her weapon. Sasha comes up behind her and points her gun, holding fire unless necessary to avoid the sound calling attention.

The child must have been seven years old. Her hair was still in neat pig tails, and tied at the ends with pink ribbons. She wore a clean yellow sun dress, and the only sign of infection was the bite mark on her shoulder, and the deathly black pair of eyes that stared at them.

She ran towards Callie and Arizona quickly knocks it down with the flat end of her oar. She places her foot on the small chest and looks down at the tiny being. The girl continues to lift her head in an attempt to bite Arizona's leg, but she was too weak to fight against her hold, and too little to do any harm. Bringing the end of the oar to the child's head, Arizona glances at Callie and then back at the little body. Taking a deep breath, she lifts the wooden shaft and brings it down onto the girl's nose bridge as hard as she could.

The small skull collapses inward with a crack and the body stops fighting against her. When she realizes what she's had done, Arizona drops her weapon and looks down at the lifeless body. Her small delicate face had shattered, and blood oozed out of the opened bone.

Arizona huffs and looks up at Callie "I… I killed her." She stares blankly at the other woman.

"She was already dead, Arizona," Sasha reassures.

"I… I killed a little girl." Arizona looks back at the body and gulps. She was a pediatric surgeon. She cured big diseases on little people. This was a big disease, but she killed her instead of helping her out.

"Let's… let's get you two back inside," Sasha suggests, not knowing what else to say. She's killed many of them by now, but she knew what it felt like to kill the first one. The utter guilt of taking a life- one she'd learn to convince herself was already over. They were lifeless bodies in search of fresh blood to eat, nothing more. That's what the virus did to them. Walking up to Arizona, she rests her hand on the small of her back and guides her back to the back to the shop. Callie follows and carefully watchs their surroundings for more children.

"There's a few out front." Sasha warns as they walk in from the back steps. "They must be wandering from the summer camp in search for food."

"Oh thank god, Callie!" Teddy wraps her arms around the woman as she enters.

"Hey…" Callie hugs her back.

"We have to get out of here." Teddy turns to Sasha, "There must be hundreds of children at that camp and they're slowly getting out. We're too close, it's not safe."

"I'll go into town and get gas!" Arizona offers.

Callie turned her head towards her ex girlfriend, "What are you going to do? Run there on foot? Don't play stupid, Arizona."

"Staying would be stupid. How far is the nearest gas station?" Arizona asks Sasha.

"A mile?" Sasha estimates.

"We can make that! We have at least two left in the tank." Arizona keeps her hopes up.

"What if the gas station is packed with those things?" Callie questions.

"Then we head back and come up with a better plan," Arizona counters.

"It's still risky!" Teddy shook her head.

"Teddy, everything's risky… we can do this." Arizona tries to find the courage to do what she's about to do. She was scared out of her mind, but they needed a safer place to stay.

"Okay… I'm coming with you." Sasha replies.

000

They sneak out the back door and down the back steps of the deck. Sasha crouches down and slowly rounds the bait shop to the front where the SUV was parked, and now six infected children wandered about. She signals for Arizona to follow her lead and she swiftly crawls to the vehicle, as quietly as she could. When she reaches the car, she watches the wandering bodies as she opens the door and allows Arizona to hop into the passenger's seat. Sasha follows after her, and she closes the door as quietly as she could, still watching the infected for any eyes that may be watching them. Content that they were oblivious to their presence, Sasha starts the engine, and the sound catches their attention.

Sets of dark eyes turn towards them and Arizona cursed under her breath. The two women did not move a muscle until one of the infected children limps towards them.

"Hold tight." Sasha warns before lightly tapping her horn and creating enough noise to catch their attention. She flashes her high beams and the little legs begin to shuffle towards them.

Sasha puts the car in reverse and slowly drives backwards "Come on, follow the light!" She keeps driving until all six children were following the vehicle. When she's convinced they were within good distance, she puts the car on drive and slams on the gas pedal. The SUV projects forward and knocks over the bodies, while causing two women to toss in their seats as the car drives over the fallen mass of limbs. Sasha then puts the SUV on reverse, and drives forward over the bodies again. The little bodies were still desperate to get up, but their crushed bones restricted them from moving any further.

"I still can't handle that." Arizona winced.

"You get used to it after a while." Sasha rubbed her friend's shoulder, "they're just bodies now."

000

Sasha and Arizona release a sigh of relief as they pull up to the empty gas station. The coast was clear but the current state of the shop made it obvious that others had already come to raid it of supplies. Getting out of the SUV, Sasha fills the car, while Arizona fills a gas can for their journey. When they are filled up, they scan what is left of the store and load their own items for the long trip ahead.

When they drive back to the bait shop, the mass of moving bodies still laid a few yards away from the front door. Hopping out of the car, Arizona steps into the bait shop and finds the two women with their things already packed. Teddy's face brightens when she sees her best friend alive, and she looks out the window to see Sasha in the driver's seat of the SUV.

Teddy grabs her bag and lifts it over her shoulder, "Looks like we have a colony to get to."

000

Arizona drove for the first few hours and Sasha took over afterwards. They continue to speed through the open freeway until Sasha suddenly slows down. When she comes to a complete stop, the other women wake from their sleep.

"What's going on?" Teddy asked.

A red pick-up truck slowed to a stop a few yards in front of them, and two ATVs followed.

"Everyone quiet, alright?" Sasha orders as one of the two men steps out of the truck and approaches them. She rolls down her window and gives the husky man a nod of acknowledgement.

"Hi there!" he places his hand on the top of vehicle and gives her a smug smile."Where are you lovely ladies headed today?"

Sasha's gut told her she couldn't trust him with her information. "Just the next town over," she answers.

"Ah… and what is your business in the next town? My brothers and I were just there; it's infected with those walkers."

"We're just driving through," Sasha tries to come up with an excuse, "we need supplies."

The man drags his gaze away from the her and looks at the SUV. "You expect me to believe that this military vehicle is out on a stroll to the mini-mart..." he looks at her uniform, "Sergeant?" He looks back and forth between his brothers and Sasha.

"Like I said, we're out of supplies," Sasha confirms.

"Right... of course…" the man replis and Sasha knew he wasn't buying her act either."Hey, why don't we escort you lovely ladies into the town? Well make sure you get to your destination safely. How 'bout that?"

Two men step off their ATVs and Sasha notices the crossbows slung around their shoulders. "That won't be necessary." She reassures the man while her eyes focus on the armed men in front of her.

"Oh, but what kind of gentlemen would we be if we let…" he looks into the window and smiles at the rest of them, "four lovely ladies go into a dangerous town alone?" He signals is buddies, "Come on, let's take you to town for those supplies. Then we'll make sure you get to wherever you're headed safely."

Sasha didn't trust him one bit. She thought of driving past them, and making a run for it, but they were outnumbered in horsepower, and their vehicles blocked the road. She wouldn't dare drive around the road and risk getting stuck in the grass ditch and causing more damage. So giving the man a nod, she rolls up her window and watches as the truck makes a three-point turn. The two ATVs surround them on either side of the SUV, and one of the men pointed forward, telling Sasha follow the truck.

"Do you have a plan?" Teddy asks.

"I'm thinking… I don't trust these guys, but we'll have to follow them for now. They overpower us in strength and the only way out is to outsmart them."

000

They pull up to an abandoned department store and Sasha unbuckles her seat belt. The men get out of their truck and off their ATVs before signal for them to come into the shop.

"I'm not letting you go alone!" Teddy unbuckles herself.

"Fine." Sasha loads her gun and hands it to Arizona "We'll be quick."

Arizona nods and holds on to the gun for dear life. Sasha and Teddy hop out of the car, and Callie and Arizona sit in dead silence. Callie's eyes never leave the shop door and Arizona watches with her, occasionally letting her eyes wander to Callie's face. When she noticed the woman wince, Arizona scoots closer.

"Callie?"

"Shut up." Callie shuts her eyes and breathes through the pain.

"Cal-Callie, why are you making that face?" Arizona started to panic.

"It's just a Braxton Hicks, shut up."

"How often have you been getting them?"

"This is the first one today; I know the signs of labour, Arizona. Now please be quiet!" Callie breathes out of her mouth and gripps onto her seat until the pain subsides. When she relaxes into her spot, she notices the two women exit the shop with bags in their hands.

Teddy gets into the passenger's seat first and Sasha opens the trunk to load their supplies. The man that met them before approaches Sasha again and she quickly closed the trunk to hide it's contents.

"Would you look at that…" he looks into the trunk that was already filled to capacity with items. "It looks like you already had supplies." He laughs and signals his buddies, "You're already packed up. Actually, it looks like you're packed for a very long trip… I think you're headed somewhere far... somewhere safe." He walks up to Sasha and towers over her, "I'm going to ask one more time, Sergeant. Where… are… you headed?"

Sasha thinks in the moment and nudges him off her. He falls back against the gas pump and she makes a run for the driver's seat. She quickly gets in, starts the engine, and steps on the gas pedal. They move a few yards but the pick-up truck speeds in front of them and cuts them off. Sasha quickly tries to swerve around them, but one of the men on the ATVs shoots their back tires with his crossbow. She puts the car on reverse but the turning wheel just causes hot sparks to fly when the metal grinds against the concrete. They were trapped.

Two men smash their glass windows with baseball bats, and the four women protect their eyes from the shards. With the windows shattered, the men were able to open the doors and pull the women out of the car.

"THAT'S IT, EVEYONE OUT!" The husky one reaches for Arizona's arm and she instinctively pulls away. She points the gun at him but he quickly snatches her wrist and painfully twists it before she could fire. "MOVE! THE EASIER YOU MAKE THIS, THE LESS WE'LL WANT TO HURT YOU!"

The large men pull them by the arm and drag them to their truck, pushing each one of them face-down against the vehicle. Arizona's cheek came in contact with the cold metal and she shuts her eyes as the flash of pain passes. When she opens them again, her eyes met Callie's fear-filled orbs. She was in the same position, but a larger man pinned her down against the truck. Arizona's eyes immediately dart to the swell of Callie's stomach, which was now being pinned against the hard metal.

"Don't crush her!" Arizona yells until her face was pulled back and slammed into the metal again.

"Where are you headed, sergeant?"

"A… a colony!" Sasha grits through the pain of having a knife at her throat.

"Where is this colony?"

"Up-state New York!" She cries when her hair is pulled back and the man brings his face close enough to hers that she can smell his last cigarette in his breath.

"Now why should I believe you this time?" he tightens his hold on her hair. "I already know you're a little liar. I'm not taking your word until we get some info from you properly… and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about… sergeant."

Sasha's eyes widen at the thought of being tortured for military information... again. She feels a hand grab her by the neck before she's tossed into the back of the pick-up truck. She awkwardly lands on her side but quickly sits up as the rest of the women are pushed in to join her.

"See, you could have made this very easy. We just want safety, that's all. Isn't that what everyone wants these days?" The man plays innocent as he gives them his little speech. "Don't try anything funny or we will shoot… and we'll make sure you don't die from it either." He chuckles and points his gun at Callie's chest, "You wouldn't want the poor baby to go hungry without these, would you?"

"You sick bastard!" Arizona gritted through her teeth and he quickly points the gun at her.

"Shut your trap or you lose a hand" he points the barrel at her hand for a moment. "Nah, I like those hands. Maybe we'll put them to good use later." He winks at her and laughs while he locks the back door of the pick-up truck.

Two of the men get on their ATVS and they drive into town before diverting onto a dirt path. Sasha and Teddy's military training started to kick in, and the two keep focused eye contact. They assess their surroundings, exchange looks, and communicate with their eyes. The terrain was unleveled and the truck jerks the women in different directions as it sped through the path.

The four by four drives over a fallen tree and the three women jump in their seats with a thump.

"Teddy…" Callie gasps quietly and blindly reaches for the woman's hand beside her, "T-Teddy…"

"Callie?" Teddy finally breaks eye contact from Sasha "Callie, what is it?"

Callie gulped nervously, "My pants are wet."


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This is not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ Again, thanks for reading! :)

Chapter 5

Arizona's eyes widen and Sasha's lips part in shock. Teddy looks down at the dark stain on Callie's scrub pants and the small puddle of liquid on the truck floor. "Crap!" Teddy breathes out. "You haven't had contractions yet, right?

Callie frantically shakes her head, "I had one at the store."

"One? Okay, that's good… we have time." Teddy squeezes Callie's hand and internally curses at the long night they were about to have ahead of them.

000

The truck pulls into an abandoned farmhouse and the men exit their vehicles. One of them points their crossbow at the women while the other opens the back of the truck. "Out and against the side!" he orders.

"Dixon, get the wire ties from inside!" The large man points his gun at the four to make sure they don't move until Dixon comes back.

"What have we got here…" another man notices the filthy lab coats on three of the women. "Doctor Altman… Torres… Robbins?" He chuckles. "We scored three doctors? This IS our lucky day."

When the boy brings out the wire ties, they grab their hands behind their backs and tie them together.

"You don't have to do this! I'll tell you everything!" Sasha tries to break free, but the hard plastic digs painfully into her skin.

"Oh, but we already know you're a little liar… so for now, you go where we go." The largest man grabs her by the elbow and drags her into the house.

"I'm the one who knows the way, just take me! Leave them out of it!" Sasha offers herself.

The man looks at the three other women and then back at Sasha "That could work… but we don't know if we'll need fresh zombie bait along the way."

Sasha's eyes widen at the thought and her mind focuses on the image of her friends being torn apart by flesh-eating beasts. The next thing she knew, he throws her onto a single chair, and his brothers toss her friends onto a large couch.

Callie yelps in pain when she lands on her seat, and she shuts her eyes as a contraction courses through her body.

"What's wrong with that one?" one of the men nods towards Callie.

"I'm fine." Callie groans through her teeth, refusing to show weakness.

He crosses his arms and notices the dark stain on her scrub pants. "You're not going to drop it here, are you?"

"No!" Callie huffs as the contraction fades again "I said I'm fine."

The large man shrugs his shoulders and turns to his brothers "Start packing. We leave for this colony in the morning. It's about time we found it." He walks up to Sasha's seat and crouches down to meet her angry eyes. "As for you… you and I are going to have a little talk after supper."

000

The men eat their evening meal on the dinner table while the four hungry women watch from the living room. Callie had about three contractions by now, and they were starting to become more frequent.

"What about them?" Dixon asks, looking over his shoulder at the four angry women in their seats.

"We keep them. We only need that one…" the leader points at Sasha, "but we can keep the rest in case we run into some walkers."

"Diversions?" the young man asks.

"Precisely," the large man taps the young lad's back.

As the men finish their meals, and go their separate ways, the leader stands up and walks towards Sasha. "You…" he takes her by the hair and brings her up to stand, "we have a lot to talk about." He drags her up the stairs and into one of the rooms despite her protest.

Dixon sits at the table with his crossbow while he keeps an eye on the three remaining women. As he toyed with his arrows, a loud slam comes from upstairs and the women wince when they hear Sasha groan in pain.

"You don't have to do this!" Teddy finally speaks up. "We can help you… we can all get to the colony safely."

Dixon turns his attention away from his arrows and watches Teddy. "You don't know what it's like out there, do you?" he asks.

Teddy remains silent.

He takes his crossbow and approaches the cardio surgeon "How many walkers have you killed?"

"Walkers?" Teddy asks.

A wicked chuckle leaves his mouth "Those blood-thirsty humans," he corrects.

Teddy stares into his eyes and sees the young man, forced to grow up too fast. "None" she honestly answers.

He smiles out of the corner of his mouth and brings his armed weapon to her chest, "I've killed about a hundred by now, you know?"

Teddy gulps and calms her nerves from having the crossbow pointed at her heart.

He laughs and unloads the arrow from his weapon. He brings the sharp tip to Teddy's cheek and scrapes her with the cool metal without breaking skin. "This arrow alone has killed a couple dozen… there is no such thing as 'safely' anymore." He removes the arrow and looks down at the woman, "It's every man for himself…"

Another crash is heard form upstairs, but this time Callie cries out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Dixon asks with a slight hint of sincerity that Teddy does not fail to catch.

"She's in labour, asshole." Arizona snaps.

"Hey! I don't need that balk talk!" He brings the tip of his arrow to Arizona's neck and pokes it into her flesh hard enough to elicit pain.

"Mmh-ah!" Callie squeals as the contraction peaks. They were getting stronger and she couldn't help but bend forward and sit in fetal position, with her hands still tied up behind her.

Dixon winces in disgust, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, come on! You killed a hundred people but you can't watch a woman in labour?" Teddy asks. He was tall and strong, but he was young and very much still a boy.

"NO… those things out there are NOT people." He walks back to his chair to resume his earlier activities while trying to ignore Callie's cries.

000

"Holy fuck..." Teddy whispers when she sees the eldest brother drag Sasha back down the stairs. All three women watch as he dumps her back on her previous chair, and then disappears into the small kitchen to grab a drink.

"Sasha?" Callie softly calls out to the woman adjacent to her. Her eyes widen when she gets a closer look at the bruise under her eye, and cuts all over the young sergeant's face.

"I've had worse," Sasha whispers back. "I didn't tell him anything."

"Are you sure that's the best thing right now?" Callie asks.

"Yeah..." Sasha groans, "I have a plan."

000

Night falls and the men soon fall asleep. The eldest brother keeps watch of the women for the first few hours, but he hands it off to the youngest brother when the sight no longer pleases him. The women were also starting to shut down, but they all desperately fight the urge to sleep.

With heavy eyes, the four watch Dixon sharpen a stick into what could possibly be used as an arrow. Callie cries out as another contraction hits her body, and she breathes through the pain, hoping it would pass quickly.

"God, could you make her stop doing that?" Dixon shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"You can't stop labour," Teddy snaps.

He whines and points his knife at Arizona "You! You're a doctor." He nods towards Callie, "Help your friend."

"My hands are tied up…" Arizona answers, hopeful that he'd untie her.

"Do you want to help her out or not?"

Arizona rolls her eyes shifts to sit on the edge of the couch beside the woman. She ducks her head to try and meet Callie's eyes, but Callie keeps her head down as she steadies her breathing again.

"Don't." Callie huffs.

"Callie…"

"Arizona, don't. I can handle this on my own."

"I know you can, but you need someone with you right now."

"What? So you can leave me again? I'm fine, Arizona."

"Calliope…" Arizona leans closer and rests the side of her forehead against Callie's.

"No…" Callie whispers. She wants to pull away but the contact comforts her.

"Callie, I know you don't want to see me right now, but I want you to squeeze my hand when the next one comes, okay?" Arizona blindly reaches for Callie's hand behind her back. "Just squeeze as hard as you can."

Callie nods and takes Arizona's hand, "Arizona… I-I'm scared" she whispers loud enough for Arizona to hear.

"I know, honey, I know… you'll get through this, okay? I know you will."

Callie shuts her eyes and nods her head as another contraction rips through her body. "Oh no…" she whimpers. It was strong and she didn't think she could handle another hour of them.

"That's it, you're doing well." Arizona winces as Callie crushes her hand "Just keep breathing."

"You make me sick!" Dixon spat. "We have a bottle of aspirin; can't we just shove that down her throat?"

"Sure, if you want her to bleed out!" Teddy sassed.

"We can get you there with us," Sasha spoke calmly. "We'll take you with us and you don't have to be pushed around by your brothers anymore."

Dixon narrows his eyes, "MY brothers have kept me alive. I don't trust anyone else, and I sure as hell don't trust a bunch of women!"

000

Dixon's eyes eventually start to droop and soon he falls asleep on his chair. Sasha quickly catches Teddy's gaze and both women knew what they had to do. What it had all come down to.

"Callie, I need you to be quiet on your next one, alright?" Arizona whispers when she catches on. Callie nods in response and rests her head on Arizona's shoulder.

Sasha carefully stands from her chair and shuts her eyes when the floorboards creak below her. Teddy quietly follows and the two women subtly make their way to the sleeping guard. Sasha places herself behind him and faces the opposite direction. Lifting her tied hands above his head, she arches her eyebrow at Teddy to give her the clear. Teddy nods and mouths, "One… two… three."

On three, Sasha loops her arms around Dixon's neck and leans forward back to choke him. Dixon snaps out of his sleep and gasps for air while his hands claw at Sasha's forearms. Sasha silently groans through the pain of his blunt nails and the pressure of the wire ties digging into her flesh to the point of bruising. Teddy plants a knee between Dixon's legs to keep the chair on the floor, and bocks his mouth with her shoulder to muffle his already weakening cries.

When Dixon collapses into his seat with a thump, Teddy awkwardly bends down to grab his knife on the floor. With her hands still behind her back, she flips it open and rubs the edge along the wire ties until she's finally free.

Cutting Sasha loose, Teddy cuts Callie and Arizona's ties and steals a throw blanket on the couch, knowing Callie will need it in the next hour. Sasha puts the switch knife in her pocket and takes Dixon's crossbow. She grabs the handful of arrows he had laying on the table, and then takes the pistol he had around his belt.

"Dixon? You alright down there? What was that noise?" A deep voice from upstairs asks, just as the four women make it to the door.

"Shit," Sasha whispers. "Uh yea!" She calls back in her deepest voice.

"What was that?" The voice from upstairs asks.

"RUN." Sasha hands Teddy the gun and opens the door to let the three women out of the house.

"Son of a bitch," the man comes down the stairs in his pajamas, but before he could make it down the last steps, Sasha loads Dixon's crossbow and hits him square in his chest.

"FUCK!" He falls back against the stairs and wraps his hands around the arrow in his sternum.

"BYE, ASSHOLE!" Sasha slings the crossbow around her chest and runs out the door.

"RICK! JIM! GET UP! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" The injured man verbally wakes his brothers. A moment later, the farmhouse lights turn on and the sound of shuffling could be heard from outside. The men were getting out of beds.

000

"Teddy, hot-wire the truck! I have something to take care of!" Sasha runs the opposite direction while the three women head towards the vehicle.

"MAKE IT QUICK, SASH!" Teddy opens the door to the truck and begins to rip out wires under the steering wheel.

"NO!" Callie stops half-way and bites her bottom lip.

"Crap, another one?" Arizona asks.

"Mhh…" Callie nods.

"You have to move through this one, okay? We don't have time to wait it out." Arizona wraps Callie's arm over her shoulders and continues to move towards the truck. Callie concentrates on walking through the pain and urged her legs to move faster when she hears the men start to stampede down the stairs.

"YES!" Teddy gasps when she starts the engine. "Come on! Come on!" she runs back to help Arizona bring Callie to the truck, and then hops in.

"TEDDY!" Sasha calls her attention. But as she makes her final sprint to the truck, gun shots and arrows fill the night air.

"EVERYONE DOWN!" Teddy warns, and the three women lower their heads as bullets shoot through the truck's windows.

"STEP ON IT!" Sasha opens the passenger's door and throws the crossbow inside before hopping in.

"CRAP!" Teddy sees three men running towards the truck and she slams on the gas pedal. "Where did you go?" she asks when she sees the men drift further and further behind them. It was too dark to be on foot in these woods, and it was smart of them to stop running as the truck drives off the property.

"I snipped their ATVs… they won't be going anywhere unless they plan to walk a few miles," Sasha says with a smug smile.

"You sneaky…" Teddy was about to rejoice when she sees Sasha's uniform "SASHA, YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"Yeah," Sasha applies pressure on her wound and shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "They got my side."

"One of us has to treat that, NOW." Teddy looks between the dark road and the injured solider.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Sasha groans, "It's not that bad, I have time. We need to get as far away from here as possible!"

Teddy silently complies and speeds through the dirt path that the men used earlier. The rough terrain jerks them in their seats, and elicits a howl from both Sasha and Callie.

"Sorry Sash," Teddy apologizes. "We're almost out of here, okay? How are you holding up back there, Cal?" She looks at the two women in the back seat through her rearview mirror.

"I… I think I'm getting the urge to-to-to push!" Callie sucks in a breath.

"Crap." Teddy whispers softly under her breath. "Alright, we're out of time, we need a safe place NOW."

"Just drive… into… town." Sasha struggles to breathe out.

Arizona shuts her eyes to think for a moment. "Teddy, there's farmland for lease just before we drove into town. I remember the sign! It's about 20 minutes out - it seemed empty."

Teddy bites her bottom lip "Alright," she hesitantly answers. "It's still risky, and I don't like it one bit, but it's our best shot right now."

"I need to push!" Callie groans through her teeth.

"I know, sweetie." Arizona dabs the sweat off Callie's forehead with the bottom of her scrub top. "Just listen to your body and let it do what it has to."

Callie nods her head and inhales deeply through her nose. The urge to push came again, and she allows her body to relieve the pressure in her pelvis.

"Which way do I go?" Teddy asks when she trails off the dirt path and onto the town road.

"Keep left and watch for the big sign. You won't miss it." Arizona answers.

000

Teddy drives into the property's driveway and parks the truck behind the small house so it's not visible from the road.

"Do you… think… its… clear?" Sasha asks.

"I'll do a quick check." Teddy quickly unbuckles her seatbelt and grabs the gun. She runs to the house and kicks the back door open. The place was dark, but moon light seeped in from the windows and somewhat lit the empty space. "It's clear!" Teddy calls out and heads back to the truck to help the women get inside.

Teddy guides Sasha through the doors, and Arizona walks Callie into the dark shelter. Teddy gets Sasha settled on the floor and then lays out the stolen blanket beside her.

"MAH!" Callie yelps as her strongest contraction hits her.

"Help her down." Teddy nods towards her best friend. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Arizona asks as she lowers Callie onto the blanket.

"Just get her settled," Teddy answers over her shoulder and runs back to the vehicle.

Arizona kneels in front of Callie and grabs the waistband of her scrub pants, "Can I take these?"

Callie frantically nods and tries her best to lift her hips to help Arizona pull her pants off.

"I NEED TO PUSH," Callie breathes out, on the verge of tears.

"Arizona!" Teddy storms back into the shelter with a lighter, a plastic bag, and a bottle of Jack Daniels. "I never thought I'd be thankful those boys had such a messy truck." She chuckles lightly and tosses her best friend the half-empty bottle of whiskey.

"Perfect!" Arizona uncaps the glass and dabs enough of the amber liquid to somewhat sanitize her hands. "Okay, Callie..." She nods her head and Callie holds herself up on her elbows. Arizona helps her through a series of pushes, and Teddy drifts off to aid Sasha's wounds.

"Here…" Teddy kneels beside Sasha and helps her pull off the military top. Revealing the blood-stained white shirt underneath, Teddy lifts the material and finds the bullet hole in Sasha's skin. "You're gonna have to hold this until we find adhesives." She rips a piece of the plastic bag and places it over the wound. "That'll keep your lungs from collapsing for now."

"I'm… I'm gonna die, aren't I?" Sasha looks up at the surgeon in fear.

Teddy sighs and brushes the sergeant's hair back with her fingers. "I won't let you die like this, Sash."

"We're in pretty bad shape, huh?" Sasha coughs.

"Yes… but we've come pretty far for a small group."

"We're bad ass chicks," Sasha weakly smiles.

Teddy smiles and helps Sasha into a comfortable position. She sits beside her and strokes the soldier's hair to keep her company through her pain.

"Teddy, we're crowning." Arizona warns as she helps Callie push again.

"I'll be back, okay?" Teddy kisses Sasha's forehead. Sasha barely nods her head and Teddy dashes for the two women on the blanket.

"I'll take care of this," Teddy kneels behind Arizona and nods towards Callie. Arizona nods her head, knowing exactly what her best friend wants her to do. "Alright Cal," Teddy rinses her hands in the whiskey and replaces Arizona's spot.

Arizona moves to sit behind Callie and supports her as she gets ready for another round of pushing.

"Big push on your next contraction," Teddy gets ready to catch the child. Callie nods her head and pushes as hard as she can when the contraction hits her. "Harder, Cal. You're doing great, but I need you to push harder."

"I can't do this anymore!" Callie falls back against Arizona's shoulder. "I can't do this HERE."

"Yes you can, Calliope. I know it's not the best place, but our baby's almost here." Arizona wipes Callie's forehead.

"O-our baby?" Callie repeats the woman's words despite the pain.

Arizona nods her head, "Our baby is almost here, so I need you to push extra hard, alright?"

Hearing Arizona acknowledge the baby as her own calms Callie down and she sighs in Arizona's arms. "I don't… I don't want to do this here," she sobs.

"Where do you want to be, honey?" Arizona wipes Callie's tears.

"I want to be at home… I wanted to have my baby at home. I want my baby to have a home."

Arizona feels her heart shatter as she holds Callie in her arms. She has never seen her so vulnerable, and a part of her felt like she failed Callie. They had a dream of building a family together, but she walked away and left Callie to do this all on her own.

"Calliope, this baby is going to have a home. Look… the world isn't the same but she will grow up surrounded by the four of us- she'll have a home. I promise."

"I can't do this anymore," Callie's sobs and another contraction surges through her body.

"Yes you can, Calliope," Arizona encourages "You need to do this because there's a little baby in there that has two mommies waiting to meet her." Callie sobs even louder and she's not sure if she's crying from the pain or from the warm feeling of Arizona being her child's mama. "Squeeze my hand and push, Calliope. You're almost there."

Callie nods her head and grabs onto Arizona's hand.

"That's it… push push push push… and release," Teddy coaches. "I need you to give me everything on the next one, alright? You just have to get through the shoulders and your baby is going to be here."

Callie smiles through her tears and looks up at Arizona. Arizona smiles back, and she feels her eyes start to water. "Our baby is almost here," she kisses Callie's forehead and then holds her close.

"Arizona…" Callie warns as she starts contracting and then gives it all she's got.

"It's a girl!" Teddy catches the child in her arms and momentarily lays her on the blanket. She takes off her scrub top, leaving her in a white tank top, and she wraps the newborn in the dark blue material before placing her on Callie's chest.

"You did it, Calliope, you did it!" Arizona bursts into tears and kisses Callie's shoulder.

"Hi baby…" Callie whimpers as she cradles the screaming infant. "I know sweetie, I know. Everything seems scary but you're here! You're finally here." She gets the baby to quiet down and then looks at Teddy nervously "She's so tiny. She felt a lot bigger thirty seconds ago, why is she so small?" The new mother naturally asks.

Teddy smiles and ties the umbilical cord with her shoe lace "You've had a low-protein diet during the last trimester. But you have a healthy little girl, Cal. She's small but she's strong."

"She's perfect, Calliope." Arizona brushes Callie's hair and kisses her cheek.

Callie relaxes into Arizona's arms and for a moment they forget about the current world around them. For a moment since the outbreak, their entire world revolves around the new light of life on their arms.

000

Callie sits against the wall and holds Sofia at her breast. "Good girl…" she whispers as the newborn latches on. "Mama doesn't have much, but I'm going to make sure you have enough, okay? We're going to be just fine… the two of us will be just fine." She gently traces the baby's face with her index finger.

Arizona watches the mother and daughter interact for a moment. They were absolutely perfect and she had never seen anything more peaceful.

"Here… she needs the extra warmth." Arizona offers her lab coat and sits beside the two.

"We'll be fine with the clean half of the blanket." Callie looks at her "You'll need that more when the temperature drops in the middle of the night."

"I can take the cold. Please… take it. I want to make sure you're both warm tonight."

"You don't have to do that." Callie says coldly, "You don't have to look out for us. I know you said those things because I was in labour, but I'm not going to hold you against it now." She goes back to stroking her daughter's hair.

Arizona sighs, "I meant it, Calliope. I want to be here. I didn't want it before…"

"I figured," Callie cutes her off "Did you say you all those things about having kids because you didn't want to lose me too?"

"No," Arizona shakes her head. "I wanted kids when I realized how amazing it could be to settle down with you… but I wanted to have them with YOU. Not with you and Mark." Arizona drops her head and avoids eye contact "I was just scared. I thought maybe seeing Mark's baby every day would haunt me, but Sofia is beautiful. I look at her and I see you. I see our dream, Calliope… our dream. How we got here was not how I pictured it, but we have her now and that's all that matters."

Callie felt her bottom lip quiver and she sucks in a breath, "You're really here?"

"I'm here, Calliope. I'm home." Arizona kisses her forehead, and for the first time since her return to America, she felt complete again.

Sofia pulls away from her mother and looks up at her mamas.

"May I?" Arizona smiles down at the baby. Callie nods her head and hands her child.

"Hi Sofia…" Arizona holds Sofia upright against her shoulder and rubs her back to burp her. "I'm that voice that kept telling you to let your mama sleep when you're fussing at night." Arizona laughs softly. She looks at Callie and links their fingers "I know you've heard her cry a few times because of me… probably more than she'll ever tell me, but I love your mama. I really do, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to her- I want to be here for the two of you." Arizona smiles and kisses the baby's head. "So with your permission, I'd like to ask if I could be your mama too…"

The baby burps and both women giggle quietly.

000

Light filled the farm house as the sun began to rise. Teddy's eyes flutter open and she quickly brings her cheek to Sasha's nose to check if she was still breathing. She sighs in relief when she feels shallow breaths against her skin, and she lies back down for a moment. Looking to her side, she finds Arizona sitting against the wall, and Callie with her head on Arizona's lap. Sofia was awake in Arizona's Arms, but she quietly entertains herself while her mother's sleep.

Teddy smiles at the child and stands up. "Hi Sofia," she whispers quietly.

The newborn yawns and watches her aunt Teddy approach her.

"You keep watch while I step out, alright?" Teddy smiles at her goddaughter and pulls her lab coat on. She grabs a metal rod from a pile of rubble in the corner of the room, and then steps out of the back door. Taking a satisfying breath of fresh morning air, Teddy ventures off the open property.

Callie opens her eyes when she feels a very small foot kicks her head. Lifting her cheek from Arizona's lap, she sits up and sees her little angel, wide awake in Arizona's arms.

"Good morning, Baby Boo!" Callie coos and takes her baby from her other mother's arms. Arizona was so exhausted she didn't notice the weight being lifted from her chest. Callie quietly laughs at the soft snores that escape Arizona's nose, and then cradles her daughter in her arms. Sofia's mouth automatically opens when her cheek makes contact with Callie's bicep, and she quickly moves her head in search for Callie's breast.

"Are you hungry, little one?" Callie chuckles and lifts her shirt. "Thanks for not crying and waking your momma." She feeds Sofia and looks around the brightened room. Sasha still slept a few feet away, and she watches the subtle rise and fall of her chest. She was still alive, but Callie knew they didn't have much time left.

"Hey, you're up!" Teddy greets her as she walks into the house.

"Yeah, this little one wanted breakfast… where did you go?"

"To get your breakfast," Teddy sits in front of Callie and drops a makeshift basket, made from her lab coat.

"Pears?" Callie smiles.

"There's a tree out back," Teddy explains.

"Perfect," Callie reaches for the fruit and takes a generous bite. "Mmm, I miss fresh food."

"Yeah, it's definitely better than all the canned stuff we've been eating." Teddy laughs and takes a pear. "She's knocked out pretty good," she nods towards Arizona as she takes a bite.

"Yeah…" Callie looks at Arizona and then back at Teddy, "she's gonna be sore from sleeping like that."

"I don't think she slept at all last night."

"Yeah?"

Teddy smiles, "I woke up in the middle of the night and she was watching you and Sofia like a hawk."

"She was?" Callie's face lit up.

"I wanted to be awake in case anything happened." Arizona's sleepy voice cracks and the two women snap their heads towards her. "Morning," she yawns and stretches her back.

"How long have you been awake?" Callie laughs.

"It's kinda hard to sleep with all the talking keeping me up," Arizona teases.

"Sorry," Teddy smiles shyly.

"It's fine… so pears, you say?" Arizona nods towards the fruit and Teddy throws her one.

The three women eat their breakfast until they hear a subtle cough come from Sasha.

"Teddy?" Sasha groans quietly.

"Sasha!" Teddy quickly crawls to the woman's side, "Sasha, how are you feeling, sweetie?"

Sasha creases her forehead. "Like I'm..." she takes a laboured breath, "drowning."

Teddy knits her brows in pain, "Your lung is filling up with blood. We have to find a medical facility. This town should have a clinic right? I can fix you up, I just need the supplies!"

"No…" Sasha sighs, "too risky."

"I'm not going to let you bleed to death!" Teddy huffs. Sasha begins coughing and she quickly takes Sasha's military uniform and places it under her head. "I can save you, Sasha… I can save you, just hold tight, alright?" She looks towards Callie and Arizona, "Did you see a clinic while we were in town?" The two women sadly shake their head and Sasha reaches for Teddy's hand.

"Take care of them," Sasha breathes out.

"NO. We can't lose you too, I'm not going to let that happen."

"I'll go!" Arizona volunteers.

Callie's eyes widen and Teddy shakes her head. "I need you to watch over them. I'm the cardiothoracic surgeon, I'll-"

"Which is why you need to stay here with her," Arizona cuts her off. "You'll know what to do if anything happens to her while I'm gone."

"You have a kid now, Arizona…" Teddy protests softly.

"Which is why I have to keep this group safe," Arizona stands up and looks down at Callie with a silent plea.

Callie sighs but nods her head. "Be careful… please."

"I'll be back..." Arizona kisses Callie's forehead and then her daughters, "I promise."

"You'll know what to look for?" Teddy asks and tosses Arizona their only gun.

"Yes… take care of them while I'm gone."

Teddy nods her head and Arizona looks at her girls one last time before stepping out the back door.

The women inside remain quiet when they hear the truck engine start. Callie holds their daughter close, and Teddy aids Sasha's side, as the tires drive over the gravel driveway and Arizona goes into town on her own.


End file.
